Did you get a diploma when you graduated from HS/college?

[bcla]

I'm seeing a McDonald's ad where they're promoting how they help employees with college, but at the end they show a recent college graduate at a graduation ceremony getting a physical diploma on the dais and then proudly holding it out for her family to see.

I don't remember anything like that. At my HS graduation ceremony (in a local civic auditorium) we were all handed a general piece of paper, although we were supposed to pick up our actual diplomas in a back room there. Anyone who didn't participate could pick up the diploma at school. I heard that any disruption of violation of the ceremony rules could mean holding back on the diploma.

In college (undergrad) it was strictly a commencement ceremony. One didn't necessarily have to be on the graduation list to participate, just on the regular schedule to graduate. The professor at the podium had a box that contained a bunch of identical rolled scrolls and he just grabbed one and handed it to each participant. I had an issue with my graduation requirements, and as a result I got an invitation for the next year's commencement although I didn't participate. Our diplomas would be ready during the summer and we could either pick them up in person at the registrar or request they be mailed.

In grad school I believe our diplomas were automatically mailed to the address on file with the registrar.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm seeing a McDonald's ad where they're promoting how they help employees with college, but at the end they show a recent college graduate at a graduation ceremony getting a physical diploma on the dais and then proudly holding it out for her family to see.

I don't remember anything like that. At my HS graduation ceremony (in a local civic auditorium) we were all handed a general piece of paper, although we were supposed to pick up our actual diplomas in a back room there. Anyone who didn't participate could pick up the diploma at school. I heard that any disruption of violation of the ceremony rules could mean holding back on the diploma.

In college (undergrad) it was strictly a commencement ceremony. One didn't necessarily have to be on the graduation list to participate, just on the regular schedule to graduate. The professor at the podium had a box that contained a bunch of identical rolled scrolls and he just grabbed one and handed it to each participant. I had an issue with my graduation requirements, and as a result I got an invitation for the next year's commencement although I didn't participate. Our diplomas would be ready during the summer and we could either pick them up in person at the registrar or request they be mailed.

In grad school I believe our diplomas were automatically mailed to the address on file with the registrar.

Only finished high school, but we were given an empty diploma holder at the ceremony, and then had to pick up the actual diploma later.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I got my actual diploma at high school graduation, but it was a very, very small school.

I didn't go to my college graduation and I guess my diploma was probably mailed to me, although I don't remember getting it and have no idea where it is if I have it. I do think that even if you walked at commencement you didn't receive your actual diploma. From what I understand any student at the school can "walk" at commencement; it doesn't mean you necessarily graduated a program.

For my master's I again didn't go to any ceremony and was mailed my diploma. This was more recently so I remember receiving this and I know I have it around somewhere.

That would be a good topic for another thread--how many people even know where their diplomas are?

 

[nene0182]

In HS we got our actually diplomas (small class of around 50) I didn’t walk for my Bachelor or Masters so I’m not sure how they did it.

 

[dhardawa]

I got a diploma in high school, but both my undergrad and graduate degrees were mailed later.

 

[ronandannette]

No. My high school graduation ceremony was held in May, prior to final exams and any of us actually graduating. The presentation was a leather folder with a paper certificate from the school; our actual diplomas were mailed by the provincial government months later. I didn't attend my university convocation so I received that one by mail too.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Never got a high school diploma (long convoluted story). Didn't attend my baccalaureate graduation as I was too busy caring for the kiddies, at my job, and attending a next degree class. Think it was mailed to my house and I've no idea where it is.

Every next generation college graduation I've attended received paper on the stage.

 

[disneychrista]

I can't remember HS.

College it was mailed later. I didn't attend the ceremony, so I had to go get a cover for it.

 

[Kitty 34]

Somewhere I still have my HS diploma which was given to us ('72) on the day of graduation. In college, I not only got the big one but they gave us ('76) a wallet size diploma which I still carry in my wallet.......not that it matters anymore.

 

[RedAngie]

At HS graduation we received an empty padded folder. After the ceremony we got the actual diploma to put in it from our guidance counselors.

There were about 4000 graduates at my university commencement ceremony, Bachelors, Masters, Doctorates and we didn't even go up on stage. Each individual college or school within the university had it own smaller ceremony too. Actual diplomas were mailed about a month later.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I received my actual diplomas at the formal graduation ceremony for high school and college (both associate's and bachelor's). For my post-grad certificate, I didn't attend the ceremony, but I picked it up the day prior. All 4 came in those padded folders and they are in a bin in the basement, along with my yearbooks and college valedictory award, and DH's diplomas and yearbooks as well.

 

[tex1989]

High school we got a rolled up piece of paper that said if you fulfilled all requirements you would get a diploma. Our graduation cerimonies were actually two weeks before finals/ end of school. Undergraduate and both graduate degrees I got the actual diploma as I walked across stage.

 

[msjprincess]

I don't remember. My son just graduated HS in June. He wasn't given it during the ceremony. They went inside the school after graduation and were given their diplomas there.

 

[wgeo]

In HS we had to pick it up after the ceremony, got a blank page during the ceremony itself.

Bachelors I don't really remember, all I remember for sure is that they couldn't decide if the weather would be good enough to hold the ceremony outside (preferable because more seating/viewing available) and decided last minute to hold it outside - and then it drizzled the entire ceremony and all of our caps (which are really just cardboard) wilted in the rain, made for some bad pictures lol.

 

[Colleen27]

We got a blank diploma holder in HS and had to pick up our diplomas later, after final grades were verified. There were a couple of students in my class that were allowed to walk but had to complete summer school courses before their diplomas were issued.

I didn't attend commencements for either of my associates degrees or for my bachelors, so I have no idea how it was handled at those schools. I promised my mother I'll go to the ceremony for my masters (from her alma mater), so I guess I'll find out how a collegiate-level ceremony works then.

 

[SteveH]

Fake diploma for High School. I opted to go to the Summer Graduation for my BS instead of spring where it was in the thousands. At the summer ceremony they give you the real deal as everything had time to be closed out and you're fully cleared.

 

[bcla]

Fake diploma for High School. I opted to go to the Summer Graduation for my BS instead of spring where it was in the thousands. At the summer ceremony they give you the real deal as everything had time to be closed out and you're fully cleared.

Well - I've been to a few of these things. I even remember when my uncles graduated decades ago going to the Greek Theater in Berkeley where it was absolutely baking in late May.

I also attended a relative's Ph.d ceremony. It was at a place that will not be named. They started off with a large ceremony for all graduates at every level in their football stadium. The featured speaker was a Supreme Court Justice. Then each department had its own ceremony at different locations throughout campus. That ceremony I attended was actually quite nice. Each graduate was introduced by a faculty advisor with specific information such as where they were from, where they previously went to school, and details about their program of study. But no diplomas were given out that day.

My undergraduate commencement was kind of impersonal. I didn't know the person handing out the scrolls, and it was basically just announce the name and move on to the next student. It was the entire College of Engineering including all undergraduate and graduates walking at the same ceremony.

 

[tvguy]

High School (1975) and College (1979) , we just got the diploma case. Diplomas were mailed to you a couple of months later once they confirmed you actually did meet requirements.
Same for my kids (DS 2005 High School and 2010 College and DD 2009 and 2014). I mean, if you take your last final the day before your graduate, very tough to know the next day if you complete requirements. And I suspect schools don't want to pay to print up for diplomas for those who did not meet requirements and have accidentally sent you to those who did not qualify.
I know DS walked with his College class, and didn't find out until weeks later, that despite all the schools checking, did not meet requirements to graduate. Originally he was 16 units short, then he got caught in a mess where a class he needed was no longer offered and there was no other class for his period of enrollment that could replace it. His major was Computer Science, and 10 years later he is doing just fine with no College Degree. Not uncommon in his field, work experience if more important. He had one employer who wanted him to get Microsoft Certifications, but his next employer had no issue with him not having those because that employer felt that Microsoft often didn't teach the best way to fix common issues with their software.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

For high school I honestly can't remember.

For college no you don't. 1) Individual schools and departments have their own college grad event (complete with walking), 2) then there's the main graduation event 3) you cannot get your diploma released if you own money (including traffic tickets from campus police) on your account. You pick up your diploma in person in the admin office for the college or you can have it mailed to you for a fee. I just picked mine up because I lived in the college town in an apartment at that time. I forget but I want to say diplomas were ready in June with graduation happening in May.

In both high school and college walking is optional. I didn't go to my department of psychology commencement but I did go to the main one.

 

[design_mom]

No for high school; yes for undergraduate college.

In high school we wore graduation caps/gowns that belonged to the school. We received a blank diploma holder on stage, then our actual diploma upon return of our caps and gowns in good condition. (Catholic high school, class of about 200)

In college, we did get the actual diploma during the ceremony. I thought that was crazy... and they were very insistent that you MUST stay in your assigned order, etc or you would get your diploma (they didn’t announce individual names. They graduated in groups, then filed through a receiving line of faculty from your program.) This was a large state university, spring commencement in the football stadium, with about 10,000 graduates.